Microwaving Food in Plastic Linked to Diabetes

There are two things that have made food storage and reheating super convenient: The plastic container and the microwave. However, despite how convenient both of these inventions are, the two of them really shouldn’t be mixed together, according to a new study.

This study, which was published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism discovered that there is a definite link to specific health problems when microwaving food in plastic containers, including diabetes and hypertension.

The researchers who conducted the study examined how two common compounds found in plastics can have serious and dangerous side effects on human health.

What’s the Danger?

The issue here is that plastic containers contain toxic chemicals. Though the chemicals do leak out into food even when the plastic is not heated, they leak out in very small, almost insignificant amounts.

However, when the plastic is heated, the toxicity in the plastic is activated and spreads into the food, according to Dr. Leonardo Transande, a professor at NYU Langone, who headed the study. The result of increased contamination of the food with the chemicals found in the plastic has been found to cause diabetes and hypertension.

Reducing Your Risk of Contamination

So, how can you reduce your risk of being contaminated by the chemicals in plastic when microwaving your food? Well, the solution is quite simple: Don’t head your food in plastic containers. Additionally, you shouldn’t place plastic wrap over your food before you microwave it.

Additionally, you can reduce your chances of being contaminated by these dangerous chemicals by not putting your plastic wear into the dishwasher. The excessively hot water that a dishwasher uses to clean the plastic can also bring out the toxicity levels in the plastic. Instead, hand wash your plastic wear in the sink with warm – not hot – water.

Another way that you can avoid being harmed by the toxic chemicals found in these plastics is to avoid drinking out of bottles that are made of plastic marked with the number 3, 6 or 7.

These numbers indicate that the compounds of the plastic in these bottles are questionable in composition and that drinking out of them could lead to contamination and eventually diabetes and hypertension.

Why are Such Chemicals Used?

You’re probably asking yourself how and why such chemicals are used in products that humans use so often. Well, the truth is that federal law does not require testing of these chemicals, even when they are used across large populations. In fact, proponents of these chemicals said that they are ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ Kind of makes you wonder about the safety of other things that you may be using on a regular basis, doesn’t it?